1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to fuel burning stoves and fireplaces and, more specifically, to a heating device designed to route the smoke created in burning through a baffle network, thereby providing more available heat extraction surfaces, extracting more heat therefrom and increasing efficiency of the heating device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Because of recent energy shortages specifically relating to oil and natural gas, heating units designed to be utilized with renewable and/or readily available energy sources, such as wood and coal, are becoming more popular as primaary and secondary sources for heating buildings. Such stoves generally consist of a firebox with a door in the front or on the side or top of the firebox, and with a flue and a damper inside the flue at the top of the stove. In the combustion process, heat is absorbed by the stove walls and radiated therefrom into the area to be heated. While some stoves have utilized baffles near the top of the stove to permit final burning of exhaust gases before they enter the flue, such units have not increased the heat radiating surfaces of the stove accordingly. Applicant is unaware of any prior art which combines the unique baffle arrangement of the present invention with a duct arrangement of the unique sort found in the present invention.